More than 300 EU laws govern life in Northern Ireland now due to Protocol

The Lords Protocol Committee 49-page investigation predicts that even more legislation in Brussels will give the EU much more power over the Province.

Its chairperson Lord Jay said that their report concluded that the Protocol had created a “democratic deficit” in that EU law is not subject to the consent of parliamentarians in either Stormont or Westminster.

The scrutiny group consisting of peers including Lord Dodds and Lord Empey as well as Baroness O’Loan has called on both the British Government and the EU to be more transparent with the people of Northern Ireland over the Protocol’s practical implications.

Lord Jay accepted that the public in Northern Ireland might be shocked to find that over 300 pieces of EU legislation apply only to the region and not the rest of the UK.

The areas where EU law applies include a wide range of areas such as the movement of plants, animals, and medicines as well the distribution of state aid, VAT and even the operation of Artificial Intelligence.

“What we are saying as a committee is that the British Government and the EU need to be more open about the practical implications of the Protocol,” Lord Jay said.

He said that EU had not “taken cognisance of the consequences of the complexities within Northern Ireland’s politics and unique social system” in their attitude to the Protocol.

The people of Northern Ireland “deserve to know” exactly how the Protocol is practically impacting on their lives, Lord Jay said.

The chair of the Protocol scrutiny body acknowledged the number of EU laws and regulations governing Northern Ireland could increase far beyond the present 300 plus unless London and Brussels reach a compromise over the post-Brexit deal.

He said there was an additional danger of “regulatory divergence” between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as the former created new post-EU laws that would be impossible to apply in the Province.

The committee has asked the Government to explain what steps it has taken to not only mitigate the impact of different regulations emerging between Northern Ireland and GB but also what extra costs would be borne in the Province.

Lord Jay added that the committee was concerned over a “lack of clarity” in relation to those areas of economic and commercial life which might lead to a regulatory divergence.